


Rhytmless Songs

by I_am_sorry



Series: This war of us [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Ancient Rome, M/M, Master/Slave, Roman Britain, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28705407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_am_sorry/pseuds/I_am_sorry
Summary: [Ancient Rome.]Is but a minute but their eyes meet. And it's been a short spring and a long, long winter since they stared at each other. Cassious's gray eyes look away first
Relationships: OMC/OMC, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: This war of us [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1442470
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	Rhytmless Songs

There had been a girl Aedan liked once. Back then when he was a young boy. She was a red-haired slave girl and it had been pure stupidity from his part. 

Aedan had seen her naked by mistake in the resting-villa of his master's family. She was taking a bath outside, close to the lake where slaves were allowed to wash their clothes. Cassious had been with him that time, and they had stumbled upon her by error.

Aedan had never seen a naked woman before and even to this day, he still remembers how she looked back then wet from her bath and shining under the sun. She had been a little in love with Cassious since forever and after that time, after they had seen her nude, Cassious had finally seemed a little interested in her.

It didn't end well.

Cassious took her and afterwards left her as if nothing had had happened. Aedan hated him a little for that incident back then. She cried for weeks, and pleaded for Aedan to fix this mess she had made. She was fourteen and she was to be a mother, and she wasn't ready for this.

She asked Aedan to marry her. And just for a little while Aedan dreamed they could make it. He would raise Cassious's son as his, he would be a decent husband and a decent father.

But they were just slaves.

And they didn't have any rights.

The night the child was to be born, was the night they choose to run. But it didn't go well. The child wasn't formed correctly, the child wasn't alive. She was too weak to be a mother, too weak to walk after the labor. They weren’t able to run away. She was sold to another house four months after that incident.

Aedan doesn’t think he loved her though, doesn’t think they could have been happy together if they had managed to run away. He understands this now. She didn’t love him either; Aedan was just convenient at the time.

Since that time many years have passed and he is a free man now, has been free for a year actually.

And Aedan shouldn’t be thinking of the past these days, these peaceful days he has been living but, but, but—

There’s a girl again.

She’s a freed slave just like him, works in the market selling raw fish. Smiles at him every time he passes by. She is still young, fair skinned and fair haired and she could give him offspring. Aedan thinks she likes him.

Aedan thinks maybe, and maybe is enough until it isn’t. Aedan doesn’t like her, doesn’t lover her, not really but —he is lonely.

***

Aedan works in the market too, sells flowers, herbs, and some medicals powders he makes with the florae he has planted on his little piece of parcel. He also sells his strength when someone needs a reparation job; and lastly he also offers minor help with reading and writing. Although he almost never charges for those last abilities of his, he doesn’t mind helping someone to write a love letter or reading about good news.

And is one cold morning when Aedan finally decides maybe is time to keep loneliness at bay. He is going to ask the fishing-girl for a walk, hoping for a favorable response. 

She says yes. Aedan gifts her some flowers—

And is like this, a single moment, in an unexpected turn of events that same day that everything fades to gray again.

"Whatever are you doing staring at some low slaves? Cassious?" A effeminate older man asks. He looks annoyed, but is gracious about it at least. "Cassious?"

Is but a minute but their eyes meet. And it's been a short spring and a long, long winter since they stared at each other. Cassious's gray eyes look away first. Cassious and those ashen eyes Aedan knows as well as his own, can’t bear to look at him. Won’t look at him. Just two men who don't have any lingering debt between them.

"I got distracted by the flowers." Cassious says calm.

The elder man pouts. "Will you buy me some flower-perfume then?"

Aedan doesn't have words just then to tell the pair: the senator and his _exoleti_ , that he doesn't sell perfumes. 

Cassious looks at his stall but doesn't say a word. 

"Is that a yes?" 

In the end Cassious just nods, and his companion doesn't waste any time. If the flowers are pretty, if the vials are colorful, if the powders smell nice, then he takes all of it. Aedan just packs it and offers it, he doesn't even charge a price.

Aedan's hands tremble when he finishes packing.

The _exoleti_ takes his package, doesn't even try to ask for a price. He is with a Roman senator now, he can have the world if he wants to. Cassious shakes his head, takes out of his robes a blue pouch and hands it to Aedan without a single word. 

Aedan wants to say many things but doesn’t find his voice. Doesn’t find himself in slavery or freedom. Doesn’t find himself in steely silver eyes.

In the end they don’t say anything and Cassious just goes leaving Aedan with a blue pouch full of gold coins.

***

An _exoleti_ is a man faded by time and use, a man who sells his body to other men in exchange of gold. Cassious’s prostitute is a famous one, Aedan has come to know. The senator started this scandalous relationship just five months ago, and the _exoleti_ has been insufferable ever since.

“Aedan,” his date for the night calls, but he doesn’t really listen to her. He is far away in another life, with another love. A love he wasn’t supposed to have. “Aedan, do you like my dress?”

Aedan blinks awake and smiles not unkindly. “You look beautiful.”

Her dress is green, like the forests back home in Britain, like her eyes, like shining emeralds, like sweet grass –and yet the only thing Aedan sees is gray. Smoke and fire and conquest. Another life, slavery. _Just endless gray._


End file.
